Fuel supply system for internal combustion engines



July 21, 1959 H. E. LYNN 5 2,895,560

" FUEL SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Dec. 16, 1957 INVENTOR, Harald E. Lynn.

'IIIIII II 37 /1//0rney United States Patent f) Products Mfg. Co., L'os Angeles, Calif., a corporation of california Application December-16, 1957, SeriaLNo: 703,153

4 Claims. (Cl; 180-54) My invention relates to apparatus for supplying gaseous fuel, such as-butaneor propane, to the internalcombustion engine of a motor truck, which is of the general type disclosed in Patent No. 2,775,981, issued January 1, 1957,, to LawrenceC. Zonker. It has more particular reference, although not necessarily, to such apparatus as associatedwith the engines of fork-lift and similar types of trucks.

In such apparatus the fuel tank is mounted on the top side of the hood of the engine,.and' through a flexible hose which extends throughthe top or side of the hood, fuel from the tank is supplied through a fuel filter to a fluid-pressure regulator located within. the hood. Between the filter and the regulator is auhydrostatic-relief valve which functions to-relieve to atmosphere any excess pressure of the fuel existing in the line. The fuel emitted-from the valve as a: result is vented through a hose to a point exteriorly of the hood.

An opening is drilled in the side or top of the hood throughwhich the flexible hose from the fuel tank isextended, and to protect this hose against wear and ultimate rupture at this point a rubber or neoprene grommet is fitted'withintheopening and about the hose. For various reasons the grommet soon deteriorates to the extent that it nolonger serves to protect the hose against damage at this point. As. a result, the hose in time begins to wear and finally becomes ruptured allowing fuel to leak therefrom and produce a fire hazard, not to mention the loss of fuel. Once the hose becomes ruptured, it is necessary to replace it with a new one.

One reason the grommet deteriorates is because of the heat from the" engine, and another reason is that it is constantly vibrated-by the engine causing it to be rubbed against the sharp edges of the hood hole in which it is seated, thus so damaging the grommet as to render it useless.

It is a purpose of my invention to provide a coupling which, while placing the fuel hose in communication with the fuel filter. 'locatedwithin the engine hood, eliminates the. use of a. gnommet and the extension of the hose through theengine hoodsothat itis not subject to wear or rupture frorntheabove recitedcauses.

It is also a purpose of my invention to provide a fuel-line coupling which not only achieves the abovedescr-ibed purpose, but provides a mounting for the hydrostatic-relief valve at a point exteriorly of the engine hood, and thus eliminates venting of the valve through a hose as is necessary when the valve is located within the engine hood.

A further purpose of my invention is the provision of a combined fuel-line coupling and relief-valve mounting which is in the form of a pipe fitting that has one part extending through and secured in the engine hood, and another part positioned exteriorly of the engine hood and to which the fuel hose is connected, and upon which the hydrostatic-relief valve is mounted so as to communi- 2."- cate with the. fuel-hose and relievethe. fuel. in the. hose. of excess pressure to a point exteriorly. of. the hooda I will describe only one. form-of.combinedfueleline. coupling. and relief-valve mountingembodyingmy. invention in association with one form of. apparatus. fOI'gSllQi plying fuel to the. internal-combustion engineof. a truck, and will then point outthe. novel. features thereof. inclaims.

In .the accompanying drawings:

Fig.1 is a viewshowing inside elevatioma fork-lift. truck having applied. to. the fuel-supplying apparatus. thereof one form of combined fuel-line-coupling and? relief-valve mounting embodying myinvention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevational'view of the-combined fuel-line coupling and relief-valve mounting applied to. the fuel-supplying apparatusfor the truck engine. and its} hood, the apparatus. being shown schematically, and as part of the. hood:in vertical section:

Fig. 3 is anend view of the pipe-fitting partofmy, in. vention.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view ofthe pipe-fitting part and the hood wall with the washers and nutof the coupling applied to the fittingto secure it within the hood wall.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in Fig. 2. is shown schematically. a conventional formof apparatus for supplying butane or propane to the internalcombustion'engine 15 of a truck, or other form of motor vehi-.- cle, but preferably to a fork-lift truck. 16 as illustrated. in Fig. 1, and for which my invention is particularly. de-- signed.

The fuel-supplying apparatus comprises, a. tanlccontaining the butane or propane, under very high;pres sure, such tank being mounted on the engine hoodr 18. of the truck by brackets 19 and clamping bands- 20, Through a valve-controlled connection 21-located-.at1one.:- end of the tank 1-7, high-pressure fuel from the tankv can be; suppliedto a feed-line 22in the form of a flexi ble hose, and through the fuel-line coupling of my in-p vention thisfeed-line can be connected to a conduit 23 located under the engine hood and. connected to'a fuel: filter 24 which, in turn, is connected to afluid-pressure. regulator 25. From the regulator 25 leads a fuel-vapor line 26 that is adapted to be connected to a carburetor (not shown) for supplying vaporized fuelto-the engine.

My invention affords a connection between the hose 22 and the conduit 23 through the top. or side, of the hood 18, as Well as a mountingforthe hydrostatic-relief. valve 27 which in prior apparatus is usually connected in the line between the fiuel'filter 24=and the regulatory 25.

My invention comprises, in the present instance, a

coupling in the form'of a pipe fitting 28. of 1? form which,

as shown in Fig. 4, has a cross part 29- and a stem part 30. The cross part 29 has flat sides and istubularjto provide a passage 31 therethrough. The walls of this. passage 31 adjacent the ends thereof. are: screwethreadedv as indicated at 31a and 31b respectively. The stem part 30 being tubular provides a passage 32 which leads to the passage 31. The exterior of the stem part 30 is screw-threaded, as indicated at 30a, and it is interiorly screw-threaded as indicated at 30b for reception of the screw-threaded portion of a second pipe fitting, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

At the junction of the fitting parts 29 and 30, the stem part 30 is formed exteriorly with an annular collar 33 at the inner end of the threaded portion 30a, While the confronting side of the cross part is formed With two arcuate projections 34 of a diameter greater than the collar to form coplanar shoulders 3411 about the collar.

The collar 33 provides a mounting for a metal washer 35, and the threaded portion 30a receives a lock nut 36 3 for confining a washer 37 upon the stem part 30 as well as to secure the stem part in the opening of the hood 18 through which it extends.

In the application of my invention to the fuel-supplying apparatus, it will be seen in Fig. 2 that the pipe fitting 28 is applied to one side wall 18a of the hood 18, the cross part 29 being disposed to the outer side of the wall, and the stem part 30 with the washer 35 mounted on the collar 33, extending through an opening 38 in the wall and to the inner side of the hood. The washer 37 and the nut 36 are now applied to the stem part 30 at the inner side of the wall 18a so that when the nut is screwed home the pipe fitting will be firmly secured to the wall, and with the cross part 29 in vertical position at the outer side of the wall and the washer 37 clamped between the wall and the shoulders 34a.

The feed hose 22 as extended down from the tank 17 to the outer side of the wall 18a, is connected to the upper end of the cross part 29 of the pipe fitting through a conventional coupling 39 screwed into the upper end of the cross part. Similarly, the conventional hydrostatic-relief valve 27 is connected to the lower end of the cross part 29 by a conventional coupling 40 screwed into the cross part.

The conduit 23 is connected to the inner end of the stem part 30 through any suitable form of pipe fitting 41 threaded into the stem part and connected to the conduit through a conventional coupling 42. In the present instance, the pipe fitting 41 is of elbow form.

It will be manifest from the foregoing that the highpressure fuel hose 22 which is wholly disposed exteriorly of the hood, is coupled to the conduit 23 wholly contained within the hood, by means of the pipe fittings 28 and 41, thus avoiding the extension of the hose 22 or the conduit 23 through the hood wall so that neither is subjected to wear or rupture from the causes recited herein. Moreover, the fitting 28 provides a mounting for the relief valve 27 at a point exteriorly of the engine hood so that the fuel discharged therefrom as a result of the valve opening to relieve the hose of excess pressure, will be discharged exteriorly of the engine hood thereby eliminating any fire hazard and the necessity of using a vent pipe.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of combined fuel-line coupling and relief-valve mounting embodying my invention, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination: a truck having an engine and a hood therefor, an apparatus for supplying fuel to the engine including a fuel tank supported on the hood, a fluidpressure regulator within the hood, a conduit communieating at one end with said regulator, a fuel line communieating at one end with said tank and disposed exteriorly of the hood, a tubular coupling having one part secured within and extending through one wall of the hood and connected to the other end of the conduit, and a second part disposed exteriorly of the hood and connected to the other end of the fuel line, and a hydrostatic-relief valve mounted on the second part and communicating with the fuel line through the latter.

2. In combination: a truck having an engine and a hood therefor, an apparatus for supplying fuel to the engine including a fuel tank supported on the hood, a fluid-pressure regulator within the hood, a conduit communicating at one end with said regulator, a fuel line communicating at one end with said tank and disposed exteriorly of the hood, a pipe fitting of T form having the stem part thereof secured within, and extending through one wall of the hood and connected to the other end of the conduit, the cross part of said fitting disposed exteriorly of the hood and connected at one end to the other end of the fuel line, and a relief valve mounted on the other end of the cross part of said fitting and communicating with the fuel line.

3. In combination: a truck having an engine and a hood therefor, an apparatus for supplying fuel to the engine including a fuel tank supported on the hood, a fluid-pressure regulator within the hood, a conduit communicating at one end with said regulator, a fuel line communicating at one end with said tank and disposed exteriorly of the hood, a pipe fitting of T form having the stem part thereof 1 secured within, and extending through one wall of the hood, the cross part of said fitting disposed exteriorly of the hood and connected at one end to the other end of the fuel line, a relief valve mounted on the other end of the cross part of said fitting and communicating with the fuel line; and a second pipe fitting connected at one end to the inner end of said stem part and to which the other end of the conduit is connected.

4. In combination: a truck having an engine and a hood therefor, an apparatus for supplying gaseous fuel to the engine including a fuel tank supported on the hood, a fluid-pressure regulator within the hood, a conduit communicating at one end with said regulator, a fuel line communicating at one end with said tank and disposed exteriorly of the hood, a pipe fitting of T form having the stem part thereof extending through an opening in one wall of the hood and connected to the other end of the conduit, means for securing the stem part in said opening, comprising washers on opposite sides of the wall hood and a lock nut threaded on the stem part, the cross part of said fitting disposed exteriorly of the hood and screwthreadedly connected at one end to the other end of the fuel line, and a relief valve screw-threadedly connected with the other end of the cross part of said fitting and communicating with the fuel line.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,059,438 Clark Apr. 22, 1913 1,182,360 Dies May 9, 1916 1,304,940 Bristol May 27, 1919 1,415,122 Schofield May 9, 1922 2,368,680 Riise Feb. 6, 1945 2,626,814 Armstrong et al Apr. 28, 1953 2,747,374 Thompson May 29, 1956 2,821,259 Garretson Jan. 28, 1958 2,855,759 Chaiser et al. Oct. 14, 1958 

